Railway rail and fastening assembly



17, 1937 P. PANDE-ROLFSEN 3,347,462 RAILWAY RAIL AND FASTENING ASSEMBLYOct 2 Sheets-sheaf. 1

Filed June 10, 1966 Oct. 17, 1967 p, PANDERQ| FSEN 3,347,462

RAILWAY RAIL AND FASTENING ASSEMBLY Filed June 10, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2United States Patent 3,347,462 RAILWAY RAIL AND FASTENING ASSEMBLY PerPande-Rolfsen, Oslo, Norway, assignor to Lockspike Limited, London,England, a British company Filed June 10, 1966, Ser. No. 556,718 Claimspriority, application Great Britain, June 30, 1965, 27,813/65 2 Claims.(Cl. 238-349) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A concrete railway sleeper hasfour separate sheet metal retaining members fixed to it by virtue ofeach retaining member having two portions which extend into the concreteand were incorporated in the concrete before setting of the concrete.Each retaining member has between these portions a part forming an archabove the concrete and a part forming a bearing portion above theconcrete. One rail is seated between and located by two of the archesand another rail is seated between and located by the other two arches.Four resilient clips are provided, each having a straight leg under oneof the arches, another portion bearing downwardly upon the rail andanother portion pressing downwardly upon one of said bearing portions.Pads of resilient material are interposed between the sleepers and therails.

This invention relates to railway rail and fastening assemblies.

The word sleeper is used in this specification to denote what in theUnited States of America is often called a tie or cross tie.

The sleepers here concerned are particularly suitable for use withrail-fastening members each comprising a length of resilient metal ofrod form which is bent so as to have, progressing from one end of thelength of metal to the other, a first portion which constitutes asubstantially straight leg, then a second portion in the form of areverse bend, then a third portion extending generally in the directionof said one end, then a fourth portion which extends from the thirdportion, generally to that side thereof upon which said leg is disposed,and constitutes a further reverse-bend, and finally a fifth portionextending in the general direction towards the junction between thefirst and second portions, the configuration being such that when thefastening member is in situ with its first portion horizontal and it isviewed in plan, the third and fifth portions appear to be on oppositesides of said first portion. A rail-fastening member of the characterset forth above will hereinafter be referred to as a rail-fasteningmember of the character defined. Such a fastening member is described inthe specification of United States Patent No. 3,004,716 (Pande-Rolfsen).

According to the present invention, there is provided a railway rail andfastening assembly comprising two spaced, parallel rails, two pads ofresilient material upon which the respective rails rest, a concreterailway sleeper extending transversely with respect to the rails withthe pads resting on it, four separate sheet metal retaining memberswhich are free from downward pressure due to the weight of the rails andare spaced apart along the sleeper and prevent any substantial movementof the rails along the sleeper, first portions of the retaining membersforming four arches above the concrete whereby between the top of theconcrete and the arches there are provided four substantially straightpassages extending substantially parallel to the rails and one on eachside of each rail, close to the rail, second portions of the retainingmembers each further from the adjacent rail than is the first portion ofthe same retaining member and each extending at an angle of 0 to 10 tothe upper surface of the concrete and spaced from it by from zero to thethickness of the sheet metal of which the retaining member is made,third and fourth portions of the retain ing members which extend intothe concrete and were incorporated in the concrete before setting of theconcrete and which are so positioned that each retaining member has itsfirst and second portions between its third and fourth portions, andfour resilient rail-fastening members each having a substantiallystraight leg inserted in one of said passages, another portion bearingon one of the rails and a further portion bearing on one of said secondportions.

Preferably the rail-fastening members are rail-fastening members of thecharacter defined. It is preferable for them to be made of spring steelrods of circular crosssection at least 4 inch in diameter and, in mostcases, at least 1 centimetre in diameter.

An example in accordance with the invention is described below withreference to FIGURES 1 to 4 of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 illustrates a side view of an assembly comprising a concreterailway sleeper with two rails secured to it,

FIGURE 2 is a corresponding side view, on a larger scale, of part of theassembly,

FIGURE 3 is another side view of what is shown in FIGURE 2,

FIGURE 4 is a FIGURE 2, and

FIGURE 5 is a side view of an assembly which has been illustrated forpurposes of comparison.

FIGURE 1 shows two flanges-footed rails 1 resting on plan view of partof what is shown in rubber pads 2 which are placed on the top of aconcrete railway sleeper 3, the rails being parallel and crosswise withrespect to the sleeper and spaced apart in accordance with the gauge ofthe track.

On opposite sides of each rail there are two passages in which aredriven substantially straight legs 7, constituting the first portions,of two rail-fastening mem bers of the character defined. Each of thesefastening members has its third portion, 8, resting on the rail base orflange and its fifth portion, 9, bearing upon a portion of a retainingmember 19. The rail-fastening members are substantially the same asthose illustrated in the drawings in the specification of United StatesPatent No. 3,004,716 and the numbers 7, 8 and 9 used above denote theparts 7, 9 and 8, respectively, in those drawings.

It will be seen that in each half of the length of the sleeper there aretwo of the passages spaced apart in the length direction of the sleeperby a distance a little greater than the width of the rail base orflange. Each passage is substantially straight and extends in the widthdirection of the sleeper and is open at both ends, although each passagecould be open at one end only if desired. As can be seen more clearlyfrom FIGURE 2, each passage is formed between the upper surface 11 ofthe concrete and a portion 12 of a retaining member, which portion 12forms an arch above the surface 11. Just beyond each of the four arches,considered from the nearest adjacent arch, there is a further portion 13which extends parallel to the upper surface of the concrete and incontact with that surface and it is upon this portion 13 that theportion 9 of the fastening member rests.

The retaining members prevent any substantial movement of the railsalong the sleeper and they are free from downward pressure due to theweight of the rails, that is to say the rails do not bear downwardlyupon them.

Each portion 12 of a retaining member and each portion 13 are betweentwo parts 14 and 15 of the retaining member, which parts extend into theconcrete and were incorporated in it during casting of the sleeper,before the concrete had set.

The retaining members 10 are formed of sheet steel 12 millimeters thick.There are four of them in all.

The lower parts of the portions 13 could be bedded in the concrete so asto lie below the level of the majority of the upper surface 11 of theconcrete. Instead of being parallel to the surface 11 of the concrete,the portions 13 of the retaining members could be inclined to it by anangle of no more than 10 and instead of being in contact with thesurface 11 they could be spaced from it by no more than the thickness ofthe sheet metal of which the retaining members are made. Thus anarrangement such as is illustrated in FIGURE 5 is not in accordance withthe present invention. It is considered that such an arrangement, with agreater spacing between the portion 13 and the surface 11, would notgive adequate support for the portion 9 of the rail-fastening member.

If desired, intermediate members of electrically insulating materialcould be placed upon the flanges or bases of the rails, in which casethe portions 7 of the rail-fastening members would bear upon theseintermediate members and only indirectly on the rail bases or flanges.Also it is possible for the portions 9 of the rail-fastening members tobear upon the rail base or flange, or upon the intermediate members, andfor the portions 7 to bear upon the portions 13 of the retainingmembers.

I claim:

1. A railway rail and fastening assembly comprising two spaced, parallelrails, two pads of resilient material on which the respective railsrest, a concrete railway sleeper extending transversely with respect tothe rails with the pads resting on it, four separate sheet metalretaining members which are free from downward pressure due to theweight of the rails and are spaced apart along the sleeper and preventany substantial movement of the rails along the sleeper, first portionsof the retaining members forming four arches above the concrete wherebybetween the top of the concrete and the arches there are provided foursubstantially straight passages extending substantially parallel to therails and one on each Cir side of each rail, close to the rail, secondportions of the retaining members each further from the adjacent railthan is the first portion of the same retaining member and eachextending at an angle of 0 to 10 to the upper surface of the concreteand spaced from it by from Zero to the thickness of the sheet metal ofwhich the retaining member is made, third and fourth portions of theretaining members which extend into the concrete and were incorporatedin the concrete before setting of the concrete and which are sopositioned that each retaining member has its first and second portionsbetween its third and fourth portions, and four resilient rail-fasteningmembers each having a substantially straight leg in serted in one ofsaid passages, another portion bearing on one of the rails and a furtherportion bearing on one of said second portions.

2. A railway rail and fastening assembly according to claim 1, whereinthe four resilient rail-fastening members each comprise a length ofresilient metal of rod form which is bent so as to have, progressingfrom one end of the length of metal to the other, a first portion whichconstitutes said substantially straight leg, then a second portion inthe form of a reverse bend, then a third portion extending generally inthe direction of said one end, then a fourth portion which extends fromthe third portion, generally to that side thereof upon which said leg isdisposed, and constitutes a further reversebend, and finally a fifthportion extending in the general direction towards the junction betweenthe first and second portions, said another portion being one of saidthird and fifth portions and said further portion being the other ofsaid third and fifth portions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,004,716 10/1961 Pande-Rolfsen238-349 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,248,950 11/1960 France.

168,543 8/1961 Great Britain.

ARTHUR L. LA POINT, Primary Examiner.

R. A. BERTSCH, Assistant Examiner.

1. A RAILWAY RAIL AND FASTENING ASSEMBLY COMPRISING TWO SPACED, PARALLELRAILS, TWO PADS OF RESILIENT MATERIAL ON WHICH THE RESPECTIVE RAILSREST, A CONCRETE RAILWAY SLEEPER EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY WITH RESPECT TOTHE RAILS WITH THE PADS RESTING ON IT, FOUR SEPARATE SHEET METALRETAINING MEMBERS WHICH ARE FREE FROM DOWNWARD PRESSURE DUE TO THEWEIGHT OF THE RAILS AND ARE SPACED APART ALONG THE SLEEPER AND PREVENTAND SUBSTANTIAL MOVEMENT OF THE RAILS ALONG THE SLEEPER, FIRST PORTIONSOF THE RETAINING MEMBERS FORMING FOUR ARCHES ABOVE THE CONCRETE WHEREBYBETWEEN THE TOP OF THE CONCRETE AND THE ARCHES THERE ARE PROVIDED FOURSUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT PASSAGES EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THERAILS AND ONE ON EACH SIDE OF EACH RAIL, CLOSE TO THE RAIL, SECONDPORTIONS OF THE RETAINING MEMBERS EACH FURTHER FROM THE ADJACENT RAILTHAN IS THE FIRST PORTION OF THE SAME RETAINING MEMBER AND EACHEXTENDING AT AN ANGLE OF 3 TO 10* TO THE UPPER SURFACE OF THE CONCRETEAND SPACED FROM IT BY FROM ZERO TO THE THICKNESS OF THE SHEET METAL OFWHICH THE RETAINING MEMBER IN MADE, THIRD AND FOURTH PORTIONS OF THERETAINING MEMBERS WHICH EXTEND INTO THE CONCRETE AND WERE INCORPORATEDIN THE CONCRETE BEFORE SETTING OF THE CONCRETE AND WHICH ARE SOPOSITIONED THAT EACH RETAINING MEMBER HAS ITS FIRST AND SECOND PORTIONSBETWEEN ITS THIRD AND FOURTH PORTIONS, AND FOUR RESILIENT RAIL-FASTENINGMEMBERS EACH HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY STRAIGHT LEG INSERTED IN ONE OF SAIDPASSAGES, ANOTHER PORTION BEARING ON ONE OF THE RAILS AND A FURTHERPORTION BEARING ON ONE OF SAID SECOND PORTIONS.